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High. Low. Medium. Wedge. Platform. Stiletto. Flat. Pump. Peep-toe. Sandal. Flip-Flop. Patent. Leather. Suede. Canvas. Bootie. Shootie. Red. Blue. Lime Green. White. Orange. Purple. And Black. Especially Black. Black most of all! Yes…by now you’ve all figured out that I am talking about my #1 obsession. SHOES!!! I love shoes. Shoes complete me. Oh…alright, that’s an exaggeration, but they do complete the outfit! They say “Dress for success”, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have”, “Shoes make the woman”, “Two things you can never have too many of: Good friends and Good shoes”. Then of course, my 2 favourites: “If the shoe fits, buy it in every colour” and “Cinderella is proof that a pair of shoes can change your life”!!! Indeed, shoes have been known to help fix broken hearts and to lift the most downtrodden of spirits. They also say “Charity begins at home” which is why I recently parted with 23 (Yes, 23!!!) pairs of shoes. Hopefully by now, they have found a nice new home. And on the bright side, it makes that much more room in my closet for all of this season’s newcomers! And speaking of charity, I want to send out a reminder to all – Saturday May 1st is the Moms & Tots Garage Sale Fundraiser in Oak Park. This fundraiser has grown over the years into a fun-filled event with lots of deals to be had, yummy baking available and, best of all, horse-drawn carriage rides through the ‘hood (sponsored by yours truly) for all the little ones. Just look for me, I’ll be there all morning. (And let’s hope for great weather – so that I can debut a pair of my new shoes!!)

I have supported Moms & Tots for a number of years and it continues to be one of my favourite local charities. I love that it embraces young families new to the area and provides local young mothers with a great support system, fantastic classes and amazing programs. See you there May 1st – and if you can’t make it, be sure to check out my May Oak Park Report video, ‘cause my camera will be there too and we’ll capture it all. And in the meantime, be sure to check my websites or YouTube channel for my monthly report, “The State of Real Estate in Oakville”. You can look forward to this video being broadcast monthly – it’s aim is to make it easy to gain a good understanding of the Oakville Real Estate market, it’s statistics and it’s trends. I hope you’ll tune in and watch. See you at the Fundraiser!!

A lot of newspaper headlines have recently been devoted to the battle between The Competition Bureau and the CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association) regarding unfair competition and the MLS (Multiple Listing Service). The CREA says consumers have plenty of choice when it comes to buying and selling real estate and I tend to agree. There are already Agents who offer a variety of packages for a variety of fees including Flat Fee Real Estate – that is, paying a fee of approximately $109 for listing on MLS only. Other packages are also offered by certain Agents depending on need, and of course there are a number of cut-rate Brokerages. Should the MLS system be opened up, my concern would be two-fold. First, I pay fees to the Burlington Board, the Oakville Board and the Toronto Board. For my dues, they manage the MLS system in that territory. So I question how a revamped MLS open to the public would be covered financially and as well, the various privacy issues currently attached even to our access.

That aside, I absolutely do not feel threatened by this current Competition Tribunal, no matter the outcome. It’s the difference between shopping at a No Frills and shopping at a Loblaws Superstore. It depends on your needs (and your skill-set) as a seller. Obviously, a Real Estate Agent brings their own skill-set to the table. There’s professional staging, Open Houses, Virtual Tours, Agent to Agent connections, marketing, ability to bring Buyers to the table, experience at the negotiating stage..and so on. We can shape up a shabby property and we often miss family occasions to make sure the sale goes through. We bring our knowledge of market trends, mortgage rates, property values and neighbourhood plusses to the table. Bottom line – there will always be a majority of homesellers and homebuyers willing to pay for that level of service. (And I’m willing to answer my Blackberry at all hours!!) Of course, on the flip side, a privately listed property on MLS may give little incentive for Real Estate Agents to bring their buyers in, and therefore the private seller may never even see Fair Market Value for their property.

And beware, even in this HOT HOT Market, we are still seeing price reductions and homes expiring on the market. Buyers are demanding. The tougher the market, the more people will depend on our professional services. So, as I said, I believe there are many options currently available to homesellers, but the best option is to go with a professional. And I’ll keep working my butt off to deserve the privilege of working for you.